Based on a very true story about a family of legends within the wrestling community, The iron claw is a wonderfully tragic story filled with astonishing performances. The film features brilliant work from everyone involved, from the acting to the direction, editing and music; all insistently highlight this story of brothers who are victims of their heritage.
Keep reading for my non-spoiler The iron claw goodbye.
The iron claw Review based on a true story
The events of The iron claw are factual and based on a very real story. Featuring the Von Erich wrestling family, the story sees four brothers giving everything they can to fulfill their father’s wish to bring home the world wrestling championship belt. A success that eluded the father himself. Bringing together all the brothers, and the best wrestler among them is the eldest Kevin (Zac Efron) who feels responsible for all his brothers.
Kevin is a career wrestler following in his father’s footsteps. And then there’s Kerry (Jeremy Allen White) whose dreams of becoming an Olympic discus thrower are dashed when the Summer Olympics in Russia are canceled. He ends up joining his brothers in the ring. Along with Von Erich’s third brother, David, who is also a career wrestler. The fourth brother has no interest in wrestling and instead decides to pursue music.
The story showcases the lives of this family, their struggle to make a dent in the wrestling business, survive their father’s high expectations, and be there for each other through it all. Director Sean Durkin creates a story that follows real-world events, with still enough character development and dramatic urgency, that the story feels like a coherent, self-contained story.
The iron claw Review praises performance
While Zac Efron has physically transformed into a true wrestler, it’s the emotional core of his performance that leaves you in awe of his talent. Despite his bodybuilder physique, Efron expresses so much vulnerability, emotional distress and just a slight simmer of frustration and anger at the twists and turns that devastate his family. It’s a sad performance that still has to juggle the physical demands of being a wrestler, as well as the inner turmoil wreaking havoc within his family. One of Efron’s best performances and one of the best of the year.
White supports him as the calmer, more restrained brother who fights his demons. Even David, played by Harris Dickinson There’s an escape here, where he has to deal with everything Kevin does, but also has to deal with being the younger brother. Maura Tierney experiences great moments as a mother who has to live through her family’s tragedy.
The writing wonderfully humanizes each character
But one of the best performances outside of Efron is that of Holt McCallany. Featured in countless films and TV shows, McCallany is one of the best actors we have. As the patriarch of the Von Erich wrestling family, McCallany is putting on a career-best performance of his own. Contrary to the usual clichés, Fritz is not the villain of this story. He may be an antagonist, but he never plays the character that everyone hates in the story.
Writer-director Sean Durkin gave the character so much nuance that McCallany brought him to life. The story does not demonize the father who pushes his children to the brink. But the performance adds depth to this character archetype that we rarely see on screen. And he’s wonderful as a super strict father who truly loves his kids, albeit in a twisted and messed up way. And even if you hate him, he doesn’t play the role of a bad guy.
A tragedy that doesn’t look like a tragedy
One of the best things about The iron claw This is how the film never highlights the fact that it is a tragedy. Instead, it’s a heartwarming story about a family and their rise to prominence in the wrestling industry. The film doesn’t make any downbeat plot points, but the organic way the story unfolds puts even more emphasis on the story and what the characters are going through. Director Durkin doesn’t play too much on one angle but creates a great balance of emotions that will make the audience laugh, make them smile, identify with the family dynamic and ultimately be part of the emotional whirlwind the story goes through .
The iron claw is easily one of the best films of 2023, despite its late entry, and I could easily see the film becoming an underdog come awards season. Notably with nominations in the acting categories for Efron.
Grade: A
The iron claw is now in theaters.
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